I do not own Rosario Vampire or any of the characters.

Weak

Damon sighed comfortable, tightening his hold on her. She smiled, doing the same, turning her head to nuzzle her face into his neck. Before them, the sun was just starting to rise over the lake. It was a warm morning. Warm enough that he was actually enjoying the weather. And it was a beautiful view. Even he had to admit. Sunrises here always looked like fire, so he didn't mind that it was a pretty thing.

"Thank you," she said, looking up at him. "For everything. You've done so much for me."

"You'll never need to thank me," Damon said. "After all, everything I do is for my benefit."

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Then allow me to benefit you some more."

He was tempted to call her out on her cheesy joke, but decided against it as her lips captured his. He sighed, settling into the kiss, smiling as his hand rose to cup her cheek, and her arms encircled his neck. However, all too soon she pulled back.

"Wake up," she said, Damon blinking in surprise. "It's time for you to wake up."

"But I'm enjoying this dream," Damon said. "Just a few more minutes?"

"No," she said. "Now."

He sighed heavily. "Fine. Spoilsport."

Then, he closed his eyes, opening them again a moment later in Yokai Academy's infirmary, an IV of lava stuck into his arm, the dark orange fluid glowing through his extremely pale skin. He groaned. He felt like shit. His whole body was in pain, he was colder than ever, and he still hadn't healed. He looked to the IV again. He was so numb from the cold that he couldn't even feel the lava. The only thing he could feel was his body aching from the cold, and the wound in his stomach. He groaned, lifting a hand to pull the IV out, only for someone to catch his hand, setting it back down gently, seeming to not need any force at all, despite him trying to resist.

"Leave it," Ruby said, Damon looking up at her. "Right now, it's all that's keeping you alive."

"Ruby?" Damon asked. "What are you...How long have I been out?"

"Not long," Ruby said. "About a day. Even on the brink of death, it seems you recover quickly." She gently touched the frost still surrounding his wound. "Shirayuki, right? Did you use your scales?"

"No," Damon said. "I wasn't trying to fight her. I was trying to stop her and Moka from fighting." He glanced at his right arm and it suddenly occurred to him that it was healed completely. At least my arm healed at a normal speed.

"I heard from the others what happened, but it seemed like they were under the impression you simply lost your temper and attacked both girls," Ruby said. "How do you feel?"

"About how I look I'm sure," Damon said. "Maybe worse."

Ruby nodded. "I'm sorry I can't help you. I wish I could. I owe you at least that much after you saved my life."

"You don't owe me anything," Damon said. "Your master just...struck a cord."

Ruby smiled her left hand resting on his hair, thumb gently stroking his forehead. Her eyes scanned his face and her smile softened slightly before her eyes met his.

"Ruby..." Damon said, reaching up to her hand and pulling it off of his head. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. But I don't feel that way about you."

"I know," Ruby smiled. "But even so, I'll always be here for you when you need me."

"You can help, by the way," Damon said. "I need some of the obsidian in my room. Five pieces should do."

Ruby nodded, standing. "I'll be right back."

"Has she visited?" Damon asked, Ruby pausing at the door.

"No," Ruby said. "There was another incident after your fight. Two students were found beaten nearly to death and frozen. She's going to be expelled, unless her name can be cleared."

"Better bring ten pieces, then," Damon said.

Ruby nodded and left. A few minutes later, she returned and handed him the obsidian. He grit his teeth, pushing two pieces into each wound before taking out his IV, taking the needle out of it and allowing the lava to run onto his abdomen, melting the frost and the obsidian. He groaned in pain as his skin began to boil, and the lava filled the wounds before shining red and fading, leaving a scar. He sighed, pinching off the tube to stop the flow before putting the tube's plug into it, the plug having been tied to the tube by a string. He stood, swaying dangerously before starting out of the infirmary.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked.

"To find Mizore," Damon said. "She wouldn't have hurt them at all, much less for no reason, which means that she's being framed. I'm going to find out who, and then I'm going to help her."

"Even after she nearly killed you?" Ruby asked.

"She wasn't herself," Damon said. "It was an accident."

He continued out of the room, using the wall to support himself as he made his way through the halls. He knew where to go. Whether she was there or not, he knew exactly where to find her. She always went there when she was distressed. At least, since she got here. Not that he'd been stalking her. That was her thing. He'd just been...keeping an eye on her. Or, at least, tracking her with his smell and hearing.

"Well well, look what we have here," one of the same lizardmen he had beaten up for bullying Yukari grinned, stopping in front of him, his buddy who had abandoned him to Damon's left, and a third circling around to stand behind him. "The great Damon. You look like shit, buddy. You look like you can barely stay on your feet."

Damon glared at them, knowing he didn't have enough energy to threaten them without panting, let alone beat them in a fight. Right now, he doubted if he'd be able to assume his true form without keeling over, and all he had to do for that was stop restricting himself.

"Remember that time you interrupted our fun, then locked us in a janitor's closet in our underwear?" the lizardman grinned wickedly. "Well, I think it's about time we repaid you."

"Get out...of my...way," Damon snarled finally. "I have...more important...things to do."

"Not anymore," the lizardman sneered, then drilled a fist into Damon's abdomen, lifting him into the air. "Now, we're the most important thing in your life!"

He caught Damon by the back of the shirt and slammed him into the ground. The one to Damon's left kicked him, smashing him into the lockers to Damon's right, denting them severely. Then, he ripped Damon back out and they surrounded him, beginning to pummel him rapidly, slamming punches and kicks into him continuously. Damon curled into a ball, trying to protect his head. He couldn't deal with this. He needed to find Mizore.

"Hey, get away from him!" Kurumu shouted, suddenly appearing behind one of them and punching him, sending him exploding into another just before Yukari used her want to drop a frying pan on a third before Ruby slammed a wing into him, launching him into the other three, who Gin appeared and rapidly beat into unconsciousness.

Damon groaned, standing slowly, beginning to stagger away instantly. He had to find her. He needed to make sure she had calmed down. He needed to make sure she had come back to her senses.

"Where are you going?" Kurumu asked.

"Stay...away from...me," Damon said, his breath coming in uneven gasps and pants. "I have...have to...go."

After a moment, Ruby and Kurumu stepped up beside him, reaching out to help him support his weight, only for Damon to shrug them off.

"Alone," Damon growled.

They stared after him, but allowed him to go. He continued to stagger and stumble through the school, ignoring everyone's stares, before finally getting outside and heading for the cliff. He could see it in the distance, but his vision was starting to blur from exhaustion. He blinked the blurriness away as he reached the cliff, finding Shirayuki and the gym teacher, Kotsubo, at the cliff, just as Mizore shrieked for him to leave her alone and shoved her, making him fall off the cliff.

"Mi...Mizore," Damon panted.

"Damon!" Mizore gasped, just before a tentacle caught her leg and yanked her off the cliff.

She managed to catch a thorn bush, clinging to it with her right hand as he heard Kotsubo's voice from below the cliff. His brain was too fuzzy to understand fully what he was saying, but it was something about dragging Mizore down. Damon staggered forward, holding his hands out and struggling to make a fireball. He didn't have the breath support, or the energy for firebreath, so this was his only hope. Except, he was only getting sparks. He continued toward the cliff, trying again and again. Finally, he got a decent-sized fireball just as he reached the cliff and let it fall. Then, he fell to his knees, sweat pouring down his face as he watched the fireball explode against Kotsubo, who apparently was a kraken. The explosion rocked the cliff and Damon pitched forward, only to catch himself, starting to sit back up.

"Damon!" Mizore shouted. "Get back! It's not safe!"

Damon lowered his gaze back to Kotsubo, his breath coming in short gasps, not able to catch his breath enough to actually breath, and not inhaling enough to get enough air to stay conscious. But she needed help. He raised his hands again, but just as he did, a tentacle shot up at him, wrapping around his ribs and squeezing, crushing them before pulling him down and smashing him into the cliff face. He was pulled back, then smashed into it again. Then, as he was pulled back again, he suddenly jerked into motion in a different direction, sailing upward before flipping and crashing back down on top of the cliff. He groaned, head spinning and breathing wheezing in and out of his mouth, agony stabbing through him from his ribs each time. However, as he lay there, Mizore appeared over him.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Mizore demanded. "Why did you come here when you can barely stand!?"

"Y...Y...I..." he couldn't speak.

He felt his light-headedness getting worse and tried to calm himself, but he couldn't. His head was spinning like a propeller and he was seconds from passing out. Then, warmth flooded him as his sight went pitch black for several seconds. But it was warm. So warm. Finally, the warmth began to fade and something moved across his face, allowing light back in and he gasped for a breath, the pain in his chest bearable now, and a little energy having returned to him. He looked down, seeing hardened lava covering everything but his face. He sighed, looking around, seeing Kurumu, Ruby, and Yukari had joined them, as had Moka and Tsukune.

"Is he okay?" Yukari asked.

"Yeah, he should be fine, now," Kurumu said. "Fire and lava heal Fire Devils."

Damon tried to move but found he still couldn't. He was too weak to break the stone encasing his body.

"Don't waste your energy trying to break out of there," Kurumu said, kneeling by his feet. "You're not strong enough yet. Don't worry. We'll put you in your shower. That should help. Shirayuki, can you give me hand?"

Mizore nodded, kneeling next to Damon's head, Damon closing her eyes to leave her some Modesty. After a moment, they lifted him and he risked opening his eyes, finding he was about waist-height, and Tsukune and Moka were helping to carry him. They took him to his room and put him in the shower, Kurumu turning it on for him. He let his eyes slip closed as the flames washed over his face and began to heat the lava again.

"You all might want to turn away before this lava comes off," Damon warned.

The girls all left, instantly, except for Mizore, who stood facing away, but remained in the room. Tsukune grabbed some fresh, not-burned clothes for Damon and once the lava had come off, Damon took a few moments to enjoy the flames before shutting them off and struggling into his clothes. Then, he walked to his bed and dropped onto it, groaning.

"Are you alright?" Tsukune asked.

"Yeah," Damon said. "I'll be fine."

Tsukune nodded and left, Mizore walking over and standing beside him.

"Why'd you come to that cliff? You were barely alive enough to be out of the infirmary."

"I wanted to make sure you had come to your senses," Damon said. "I wanted to know you were okay."

"Why?" Mizore asked.

"Because you needed help," Damon said. "You were doing so well, but then you slipped up. I didn't want you to be defined by one mistake."

Mizore stared at the ground for a moment. "That wasn't a mistake. That's how Abominable Snowwomen are naturally."

"And Fire Devils are evil beings that burn anything that annoys them naturally, and that associate with no one, to include each other, and that kill Yuki Onna on sight," Damon said. "You said you didn't want to be a stereotype of your species, the same way I refuse to be one of mine. Acting like our species made us loners. So I knew you would regret slipping up. So I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Mizore nodded. "Thank you. But...I have a request."

"What?" Damon asked.

"Can we...stop the prank war?" Mizore asked. "It's...annoying."

Damon nodded. "Sure. Sorry for making you mad."

She shook her head. "It's not that. I just...have something else I need to focus on, and the prank war will distract me."

Damon nodded. "Alright. Sure. Let me know if you need any help, alright?"

Mizore nodded. "I will."

She turned and walked out of the room and Damon sighed. He knew what she needed to do. She was going to try and steal Tsukune. He groaned, pushing himself up slowly and left the room, heading to the infirmary, collapsing onto the bed he had left early. He took his jacket off, put the needle end back into the tube, and stuck it back into his arm. Then, he sighed, allowing himself to drift off to sleep.

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